Arlington Heights, Illinois
| subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Illinois | subdivision_type2 = Counties | subdivision_name2 = Cook, Lake | subdivision_type3 = Township | subdivision_name3 = Wheeling | established_title = Incorporated | established_date = 1887 | founder = | seat_type = | seat = | government_footnotes = | government_type = Council-manager | leader_party = | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Thomas Hayes | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | unit_pref = US | area_footnotes = | area_magnitude = | area_note = | area_water_percent = | area_rank = | area_total_km2 = 43.1 | area_land_km2 = 43.0 | area_water_km2 = 0.1 | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_ft = 700 | population_footnotes = | population_total = 75101 | population_as_of = 2010 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_note = | timezone1 = Central | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = ZIP code(s) | postal_code = 60004, 60005, and 60006 (PO BOX Only) | area_code_type = Area code(s) | area_code = 847 and 224 | iso_code = | geocode = 02154 | website = | footnotes = | demographics_type1 = Standard of living | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = Per capita income | demographics1_info1 = | demographics1_title2 = Home value | demographics1_info2 = }} Arlington Heights is a village in Cook County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown.Arlington Heights Mayor (Andrew Robinson) Promotes Downtown Revival The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census.Arlington Heights (village) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau It is the most populous community in the United States that is incorporated as a "village", although it is not far ahead of its nearby Illinois neighboring villages of Schaumburg and Bolingbrook. Arlington Heights is known for Arlington Park Race Track, home of the Arlington Million, a Breeders' Cup qualifying event; it also hosted the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2002. The village is also home to the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, which has one of the largest collections in the state. Background Arlington Heights lies mostly in the western part of Wheeling Township, with territory in adjacent Elk Grove and Palatine townships, in an area originally notable for the absence of groves and trees. The General Land Office began selling land here in 1835. In 1853, William Dunton, originally from Oswego, New York, persuaded the Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad to make a stop here, and laid out a town called Dunton. Dunton Avenue, named after William Dunton, is the village's base line that splits addresses east and west, with Campbell Street splitting north and south. By 1850, the area had largely changed its ethnic composition, as many German farmers from Saxony had arrived during the 1840s. John Klehm might serve as an example; he was at first a potato farmer, supplying the Chicago market, and in 1856 began a nursery for cherry, apple, and pear trees, later moving into spruce, maple, and elm, and then flowers. By the late 1850s the area had become noted for its truck farms, sending dairy products as well as vegetables to Chicago on the railroad. .]] The little town at the depot slowly grew, acquiring a blacksmith, a cheese factory, a hardware store, and a hotel. It incorporated as Arlington Heights in 1887, when its population numbered about 1,000. Most were farmers, but they were joined by others who worked in Chicago, since Arlington Heights was an early commuter suburb. Religious heritage of Arlington Heights The town developed religious institutions that reflected the origins of its citizens. The first churches were Presbyterian (1856) and Methodist (1858), with a German Lutheran church following in 1860. Today, the village has many Roman Catholics, boasting three very large churches: St. James (founded 1902—now home to 4,600 registered families), St. Edna (2,800 registered families), and Our Lady of the Wayside (3,100) registered households), in addition to several large Lutheran churches, Evangelicals and several other Protestant churches, including two United Churches of Christ. Arlington Park Racetrack By the start of the 20th century Arlington Heights had about 1,400 inhabitants, and it continued to grow slowly with a good many farms and greenhouses after World War II. By then Arlington Heights was also known for Arlington Park, a racetrack founded in 1927 by the California millionaire Harry D. "Curly" Brown upon land formerly consisting of 12 farms. Camp McDonald and two country clubs were founded in the 1930s. On July 31, 1985, a fire burned down the grandstand. The current six-story grandstand was completed and opened for use June 28, 1989. Population increase A population explosion took place in the 1950s and 1960s, when the spread of automobile ownership, together with the expansion of the Chicago-area economy, the baby boom, and white flight from the city, drove the number of people in Arlington Heights—expanded by a series of annexations—up to 64,884 by 1970. By then virtually all the available land had been taken up, and the formerly isolated depot stop found itself part of a continuous built-up area stretching from Lake Michigan to the Fox River.Buisseret, David, "Arlington Heights, IL", Encyclopedia of Chicago (accessed Nov 12, 2008) Geography Arlington Heights is located at (42.094976, -87.980873). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.17%, is water. Business Arlington Heights has experienced a recent boom in development of condos, restaurants and other businesses in the Central Business District or downtown area of Arlington Heights, with restaurants experiencing the greatest overall success. Although land and space is now limited in Arlington Heights, business and community development along with community design are key concerns. The Village of Arlington Heights is also instrumental in business, residential and community development. The community is served by many fine hotels. Top employers According to the Village's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,Village of Arlington Heights CAFR the top employers in the city are: Notable people In the movies The following movies were partially filmed in Arlington Heights * ''Lucas'' (1986) (many scenes filmed at the former Arlington High School including the former Grace Gym and Foyer)Lucas (1986) - Filming locations * A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 film) (high school scenes filmed at John Hersey High School)A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) - Filming locations * ''The Lucky Ones'' (2008)The Lucky Ones (2008) - Filming locations * Blood and Wine (1996)Blood and Wine (1996) - Filming locations * Normal Life (1996)Normal Life (1996) - Filming locations * Uncle Nino (2003)Uncle Nino (2003) - Filming locations Entertainment venues From 1964 to 1970, Arlington Heights served as the home to The Cellar. The club was located in an unused warehouse on Davis Street, along the Chicago and Northwestern railroad tracks). Founded by local record store owner Paul Sampson, The Cellar offered live rock and blues bands for its mostly teenage audience to listen and to dance. It hosted a wealth of regional bands and repeat performers, such as The Shadows of Knight, The Mauds, H. P. Lovecraft, and Ted Nugent. It also hosted a significant array of national and international rock bands as well, including The Who, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Spencer Davis Group.Lind, Jeff, "History of Chicago Rock", Illinois Entertainer (July 1978) (accessed May 18, 2008) Entertainment venues include the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in downtown Arlington Heights. The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre includes live entertainment as well as arts education. The facility includes a 350-seat theatre, ballroom and classrooms for music and theatre. Transportation Arlington Heights has two stations (Arlington Heights and Arlington Park) on Metra's Union Pacific/Northwest Line, which provides daily rail service between Harvard, Illinois, and Chicago. Other nearby rail service includes the Metra North Central Line. Metra's proposed STAR line, if it were to be funded and built, would likely include a third station on the far south end of Arlington Heights. Interstate 90 and Illinois Route 53 (northern extension of Interstate 290) run along the south and western edges, respectively, of the city, providing easy access to nearby O'Hare International Airport, the city of Chicago, and other suburbs. Arlington Heights Road is a main street running north-south through all of central Arlington Heights. Running to the south it passes through Elk Grove Village, and its southern terminus is in Itasca of DuPage County. Running north it passes through Buffalo Grove, and its northern terminus is in Long Grove of Lake County. Northwest Highway (U.S. Route 14) runs northwest-southeast through central Arlington Heights, from Chicago to Crystal Lake of McHenry County. Other major streets/roads include Rand Road (U.S. Route 12), Golf Road (Illinois Route 58), Algonquin Road (Illinois Route 62), Dundee Road (Illinois Route 68), Palatine Road, Central Road, Hintz Road, Euclid Avenue, Dunton Avenue, Campbell Street, White Oak Street, Thomas Street, Olive Street, Oakton Street, Kennicott Avenue, Ridge Avenue, Dryden Avenue and Windsor Drive. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 76,031 people, 30,763 households, and 20,518 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 131,725 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 90.56% White, 0.96% African American, 0.08% Native American, 5.98% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.19% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.46% of the population. There were 30,763 households out of which 99.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 63% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05. In the village the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. As of 2011 there is a Japanese community in Arlington Heights. Jay Shimotake, the president of the Mid America Japanese Club, an organization located in Arlington Heights, said "Arlington Heights is a very convenient location, and Japanese people in the business environment know it's a nice location surrounding O'Hare airport."Selvam, Ashok. "Asian population booming in suburbs." Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois). March 6, 2011. Retrieved on June 19, 2013. The Chicago Futabakai Japanese School is located in Arlington Heights. The Mitsuwa Marketplace, a shopping center owned by Japanese, opened around 1981. Many Japanese companies have their U.S. headquarters in nearby Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg. Climate |date=September 28, 2013 }} Local media Arlington Heights media *''The Daily Herald'', the major locally owned and operated newspaper for Arlington Heights and many other Chicago suburbs *''Journal & Topics'', covering Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, and Wheeling. Education Public elementary schools and middle schools in Arlington Heights are primarily operated by Arlington Heights School District 25. Portions of the city are also served by Prospect Heights School District 23, Wheeling School District 21, and Elk Grove School District 59. Public high schools are operated by Township High School District 214. During peak enrollment from the 1960s to the 1980s, there were three public high schools in Arlington Heights: Arlington High School, Forest View High School and John Hersey High School. Arlington High School was the original high school founded in 1922, but was closed in 1984, and is now the private Christian Liberty Academy. Forest View High School was closed in 1986, but serves as the administration center for the district. Today Arlington Heights high school students attend Rolling Meadows High School, Prospect High School, John Hersey High School and Buffalo Grove High School, with small portions attending Wheeling High School, Loyola Academy, and Elk Grove High School. There are also several private schools in Arlington Heights, such as St. Viator High School, Our Lady of Wayside School, St. James School, St. Peter Lutheran School and Christian Liberty Academy. Chicago Futabakai Japanese School is located in Arlington Heights, in a former middle school. It moved there from Niles in 1998.Deardorff, Julie and Karen Cullotta Krause. "SCHOOL MOURNS IN ITS OWN WAY THOUGH OUTWARD SIGNS OF GRIEF WERE FEW, A SOMBER FUTABAKAI STUDENT BODY AND FACULTY GRAPPLED WITH THE DEATHS OF AN ADMINISTRATOR AND AN ART TEACHER IN MONDAY'S HELICOPTER CRASH. AS ONE SCHOOL OFFICIAL PUT IT: `IN JAPAN, WE ARE NOT CRYING OUT; IT IS MORE ON THE INSIDE.'" Chicago Tribune. May 20, 1998. Metro Northwest Start Page 1. Retrieved on January 10, 2012. News and current issues New construction of residential and commercial developments are hot topics in the local news. In the residential category, issues of noise, neighborhood style and character, drainage, and crowding of lots are issues that face residents, developers and village planners. Many houses are torn down or almost completely torn down to make way for new construction. In the commercial category, issues of noise, traffic, parking, retail and residential mix and financing are major issues. In February 2006, Heights Public School District 25 voted against extension of a [[tax increment financing] (TIF) district, believing that the school district would not recoup funds lost from frozen property taxes. The failure of the TIF district to extend its deadline at the end of 2006, means a possible slowdown in commercial development in of the area within boundaries of the railroad tracks along Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights Road, Sigwalt Street and Chestnut Avenue in downtown Arlington Heights. A TIF district formed around the International Plaza mall on the northeast corner of Arlington Heights Road and Golf Road is the subject of protests and a lawsuit. A decision of the Arlington Heights Village Board to reject a rezoning request in 1971 was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, in Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Corp., 429 U.S. 252 (1977). A religious order, the Clerics of St. Viator, had sought to rezone their land that was classified for single-family housing so that low and moderate income multi-family developments could be built. After the request was denied, the developer and three black individuals filed suit in federal court, claiming that the decision was racially motivated in violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court rejected the challenge, because although racial minorities were disproportionately harmed by the decision, the record did not show any discriminatory intent on the part of the village. See also *Arlington Heights Park District References External links * Village of Arlington Heights official website * Arlington Heights Historical Documents--From DigitalPast * Arlington Heights Historical Museum * Category:Arlington Heights, Illinois Category:Villages in Illinois Category:Chicago metropolitan area Category:Villages in Cook County, Illinois Category:Villages in Lake County, Illinois Category:Settlements established in 1836